Back in May, I wrote a piece for the magazine about the risk of satellite collisions in space. The article told of how satellite collisions create a massive amount of debris, which creates an even greater opportunity for more collision and therefore, higher rates of insurance. Much attention was brought to this topic after the Feb. 10 collision of a defunct Russian satellite and a commercial U.S. satellite.
Since this event, the U.S. Air Force has increased its ability to predict possible collisions in space. As a recent Washington Post article stated:
Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, called the collision the “seminal event” in the satellite industry during the past year and said it destroyed any sense that space was so vast that collisions were highly improbable. He said military officials had wanted to do more thorough analysis of possible collisions in space but had lacked the resources.
Apparently, the resources are now available. The U.S. military is currently tracking 800 satellites on a daily basis and expects to add 500 more by year’s end. This is good news, however there is an estimated 20,000 satellites, spent rocket stages and other debris floating through space at high rates of speed, most of which are not tracked.
The U.S. Air Force has come a long way since the Feb. 10 collision, but much more is needed to guarantee a safe space.
The following is an amazing video from the History Channel showing the Earth’s overly polluted orbit, from the first rocket launched to now, and the satellite tracking process. It even includes actual footage of space debris. I could watch this over and over if it was possible to do so here at work.